DE 42 32 305 C1 discloses a multi-part cap for containers, in particular bottles produced in the blow-molding method and filled and closed in the mold, including in the form of a vial. The container has a neck part, onto which the cap can be placed. Adjoining to the section receiving the neck part, the cap has an integrally formed part that is formed as a dropper. This patent describes, as further known solutions, bottles of this kind having an externally threaded neck that is closed at its free end by a closure part, integrally formed with the neck part. A cap screwed onto the neck part is provided with a centrally arranged spike on the inside as an opening device with which the closure part can be pierced. When the cap is removed after piercing the closure part, the liquid present in the bottle can be discharged through the opening created in the closure part.
DE 195 80 104 T1 discloses a container solution having a hermetically sealed container which is provided with a covering cap. A spike incorporated in the cap serves for piercing a membrane on the neck part of the container. The hollow spike forms an attachment that defines a discharge path in a manner that ensures a controlled removal of liquid. To this end, the spike, acting as an opening device, pierces the membrane. After removal of a first cap part, the spike is retained in the membrane by the second cap part to provide a controlled dispenser or discharge opening for the container. The first cap part can then serve again for closing the dispenser or discharge opening for the container body of the container.
A container is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,233. For an opening process of the container, in addition to a ramp guide between ramp parts of a first cap part and a second cap part that, when actuated, effects a longitudinal insertion of the second cap part into a locked position on the neck part of the container, which is accompanied by a corresponding exertion of force during actuation, is also provided with nose-shaped projecting engaging parts on the neck part. The engaging parts engage with associated recesses of the second cap part for its non-rotatable fixing on the neck part, allowing an opening process of the container in both possible directions of rotation of the first cap part during its screw-on or unscrewing process onto the, or from the, container, respectively. Comparable solutions, however with only one cap part or one cap, have at its end facing the container body a piercing spike, which, as an opening device. The piercing spike pierces a sealing membrane or housing cover part facing it, when screwing the cap onto or off a corresponding threaded segment of the neck part of the container body, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,454,196 A1 as well as U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,687 A1.
All solutions in the prior art mentioned above have in common that they do not have a tamper-evident closure, which is an important feature for pertinent containers. A tamper-evident closure clearly indicates to the user possible tampering with the opening-closing system, which is undesirable, or even preventing such tampering.
On the other hand, a container with a two-part cap solution is disclosed in DE 10 2005 025 760 A1. The container body is provided with a tamper-evident closure. This container body can in turn be manufactured in a simple and cost-effective manner by a blow-molding, filling, and closing method, as it has become known under the trademark “Bottelpack®” in the trade. The cap parts, as well as the tamper-evident closure, can be produced preferably by injection molding. Especially, when such containers are provided for containing a sensitive filling material, such as food or, in particular, pharmaceutical or cosmetic substances, the fixing parts that, during first use of the container, need to be separated from the first cap part by releasing associated predetermined breaking points to perform the opening process. The fixing parts have a particularly important function as a tamper-evident closure by clearly indicating, or even preventing, tampering with the opening-closing system as outlined above. For this purpose, the fixing part is connected with the edge of its associated first cap part in the form of a retaining ring via predetermined breaking points in the aforementioned known container.
The fixing part is mounted on the neck part of the container body and is rotatable in the screwing-on direction, but is fixed against rotation in the unscrewing direction by a unidirectional locking mechanism. To break the tamper-evident closure, i.e., release the connection with first cap part, the user must continue turning the initially loose first cap part in the screwing direction (down) until the retaining ring makes contact with the container shoulder, causing an axial compression between the shoulder, retaining ring and cap part and the predetermined breaking points are torn during further rotation by superimposed axial and torsional forces.
When the user starts, on the other hand, with a rotation in screw-off direction for the first opening, a completely different type of release behavior arises compared to the long paths (up to several rotations) required with the former approach (screwing in). Since the rotation of the locking ring in the unscrewing direction is blocked, releasing the predetermined breaking points is carried out without pronounced deformation and over a short path (small angle of rotation). In this case, however, the user must reverse the direction of rotation after releasing the predetermined breaking points to perform the piercing process, and thus the opening of the container body, by unscrewing the first cap part and driving the second cap part with the spike cannula located thereon.